February1: Super Bowl XXXVIII, Houston, Texas
8: AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii
10: First day clubs can designate Franchise or Transition players
18-24: Combine Timing and Testing, RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
24: Waiver system begins for 2004. Waivers will expire on the first business day of the new League Year. Players with at least four previous pension-credited seasons that a club desires to terminate are not subject to the waiver system until after the trading deadline
24: Deadline at 4 p.m., New York time, for clubs to designate Franchise and Transition Players
25: First day clubs may sign designated Franchise Players to multi-year contracts or extensions.

March2: Expiration date of all player contracts due to expire in 2004
2: Deadline for exercising options for 2004 on all players who have option clauses in their 2003 contracts
2: Deadline for submission of Qualifying Offers by clubs to their Restricted Free Agents whose contracts have expired and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation
2: Deadline for clubs to submit offer of minimum salary to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with fewer than three seasons of free agency credit whose contracts have expired
3: Free Agency period begins
3: Trading period begins for 2004 after expiration of all 2003 contracts
3: A claiming period of three business days is in effect for waiver requests made prior to May 1
17: Deadline at 4 p.m., New York time, for clubs to sign Franchise Players to multi-year contracts or extensions
22: Clubs may begin off-season programs and mini-camps. Programs may run a maximum of 14 weeks
28-April 1: NFL Annual Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida

April16: Deadline for signing of Offer Sheets by Restricted Free Agents
23: Deadline for Old Club to exercise Right of First Refusal to Restricted Free Agents
24-25: 2004 NFL Draft,, New York, N.Y.

May1: Claiming period of 10 calendar days begins in waiver system
16: Except for a three-day mini-camp held within 15 days of the draft, this is the first day that players eligible for the 2004 Draft are permitted to participate in mini-camps, practices, or meetings. If final examinations at a player’s school conclude after this date, the player is prohibited from participating in any activities until after the player’s final day of examinations. If the player has left or leaves school, he is prohibited from participating in any club activities until after the final day of examinations at his school.
25-26: NFL Spring Meeting, Jacksonville, Florida.

June1: Deadline for Old Club to send tender to its unsigned Restricted Free Agents or to extend Qualifying Offer, whichever is greater, in order to retain rights
1: Deadline for Old Club to send tender to its unsigned Unrestricted Free Agents to retain rights if player is not signed by another club by July 22
2: Any unamortized signing bonus amounts will be included in the succeeding year’s Team Salary for any players removed from the team’s roster other than by trade
12: World Bowl VII, Dusseldorf, Germany
15: Deadline for club to withdraw Qualifying Offer to Restricted Free Agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights by substituting tender of one-year contract at 110 percent of previous year's Paragraph 5 salary (with all other terms carried forward unchanged)
15: On or after this date a club that extends an existing Player Contract for a Franchise Player shall not be deemed to have utilized its Franchise Player designation for the period of the extension
22: Signing period ends at 4 p.m., New York time, for Unrestricted Free Agents to whom a June 1 tender was made by Old Club, and for Transition Players. After this date and through 4 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday after the 10th regular season weekend, Old Club has exclusive negotiating rights to these players*

*or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later.

August7-9: Hall of Fame Weekend
9: Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio
10: If a Drafted Rookie has not signed with his club by this date, he may not be traded to any other club in 2004.
10: Deadline for players under contract to report to earn a season of free agency credit
12-16: First Preseason Weekend
14-18: Clubs have until five days prior to their game on the second preseason weekend to provide written notice to certain unsigned players and the NFLPA of their intent to place them on the Exempt List if they fail to report no later than one day prior to that weekend’s game. Any player who fails to report prior to the deadline will be ineligible to play or receive compensation for at least three games (preseason or regular season) from the time that he reports.
19-23: Second Preseason Weekend
26-30: Third Preseason Weekend
31: Roster cut-down to maximum of 65 players on Active List by 4 p.m., New York time
31: All tryouts on this date and for the remainder of the season must be reported to the League office

September1-3: Fourth Preseason Weekend
5: Roster cut-down to maximum of 53 players on Active/Inactive List by 4 p.m., New York time. Clubs may dress minimum of 42 and maximum of 45 players and Third Quarterback for each regular season and post-season game.
5: NFL Europe League exemptions expire
5: Simultaneously with the cut-down to 53, clubs that have players in the categories of Active/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must take one of the following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/Non-Football Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; ask waivers; terminate; trade; or continue to count him on Active List.
6: Claims on players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 12 noon, New York time.
6: After 12 noon, New York time, clubs may establish a Practice Squad of five players by signing free agents who do not have an accrued season of free agency credit or who were on the 45-player Active List for less than nine regular season games during their only Accrued Season(s). A player cannot participate on the Practice Squad for more than two seasons.